An Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane crashed in Kazakhstan on the 25th (local time), resulting in the tragic death of more than 30 people, but nearly half of the passengers survived, leading some to call it a 'Christmas miracle.'
According to foreign media including Russia's TASS news agency, the Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2 8243, departing from Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, and heading to Grozny, Russia, crashed near Aktau city in western Kazakhstan that morning. According to Russian aviation authorities, an 'emergency situation' occurred during the flight when the aircraft collided with a flock of birds. The plane attempted an emergency landing by diverting to Aktau but crashed about 3 km from Aktau.
Footage from the time of the accident shows the passenger plane descending at a gentle angle for an emergency landing, with the central part of the aircraft sliding along the ground. The plane then exploded, engulfed in flames, and black smoke rose.
Kazakhstan authorities announced that more than 30 people died in the accident, but 29 of the 67 passengers survived and are receiving treatment in hospitals. Azerbaijani authorities reported that 32 people survived, a slightly higher number.
Despite the plane exploding after the crash, nearly half of the passengers survived, prompting reactions that a miracle occurred amid the tragedy. TASS reported that while the middle and front parts of the plane were completely destroyed by the explosion, the rear part remained relatively intact. Based on this, it is estimated that many survivors were seated in the rear section of the aircraft.
Kazakhstan rescue authorities quickly extinguished the fire using firefighting helicopters, preventing further explosions, which is also believed to be a reason for the higher-than-expected number of survivors. Additionally, the crash site was fortunately a wide beach along the Caspian Sea coast, so the plane did not collide with buildings or ground facilities.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan authorities have formed a government committee to investigate the accident. Upon hearing the news, Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan, who was to attend an informal Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) summit in Saint Petersburg, Russia, turned back in Russian airspace and hurriedly returned home. A delegation including the Minister of Digital Development and Transport and the Minister of Emergency Situations was dispatched to Kazakhstan to determine the cause of the accident.
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